This invention relates to certain mechanical features of a blade used in a blade server apparatus, as will become more clear from the discussion which follows. Blade servers, as have become known to persons of skill in the arts of computer apparatus, provide electronic components mounted in housings known as blades, with a plurality of blades being received within a chassis housing which provides power supply and connectivity for the components of blades mounted therein. As here in used, the dimensions of a blade housing are defined as having a length measured along the dimension which enters into the chassis housing, a width measured transversely of the chassis housing, and a height measured vertically of the chassis housing.
Recent advances in high volume servers have introduced 64 bit processors and operating systems. These systems are capable of directly addressing vast amounts of memory and users are now demanding much more memory capacity. Processor frequencies are now so high that systems limit performance under peak conditions to be able to cool and power components. Improvements in IC manufacturing processes have reached the point where two processors occupy the same die and the same socket further exacerbate cooling and power requirements. Many blade servers come in width increments of 30 mm (referred to as B in this document).
The most common blade servers are based on 1 B, however this is the server most impacted by all these advances. Typically these servers can only fit 4 1.2″ DIMMS at a 25 degree angle or 8 0.72″ vertical DIMMS. The vertical DIMMS can typically support half of the capacity per DIMM as the angled DIMM, both giving the same capacity. Many users of 1 B servers rarely stress the system to its maximum performance and do not observe a reduction in performance. However, many other users do stress their systems to maximum performance for extended periods of time. These power users may soon have to switch from 1 B servers to 2 B servers (which have more room for memory, larger heat sinks, etc.) to achieve the level of performance needed. This invention provides a solution for both the typical user and the high power, optimized for each application